• Faith: Christian
• Career: Athlete
• Birthday:  August 14, 1987

Tim Tebow is a former NFL quarterback, minor league baseball player, sports broadcaster, and philanthropist. Known for his exceptional college football career at the University of Florida and his outspoken Christian faith, Tebow became a cultural phenomenon that transcended sports. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 as the first sophomore to receive the award, led the Gators to two BCS National Championships, and went on to play in the NFL for three seasons, primarily with the Denver Broncos.

Tim Tebow was born in Manila, Philippines, to American missionaries Robert Ramsey Tebow II and Pamela Elaine (née Pemberton) Tebow. His parents had met while attending the University of Florida in the late 1960s and married in 1971. By 1985, the couple had moved to the Philippines to serve as Baptist missionaries and establish a ministry.

Tebow's birth story itself is remarkable and has become central to his life narrative. During her pregnancy, his mother contracted amoebic dysentery and fell into a coma. The medications used to treat her caused a severe placental abruption, and doctors expected a stillbirth, recommending an abortion. However, abortion was illegal in the Philippines even in severe cases, and the Tebows chose to continue with the pregnancy. Against medical expectations, Pamela gave birth to a healthy Tim Tebow on August 14, 1987.

The youngest of five children, Tebow spent his early years in the Philippines before his family relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, when he was three years old. The Tebow family name is of Belgian (Walloon) origin, and Tim is a descendant of Andries Tebow, who sailed to America from Bruges in the 1680s.

All of the Tebow children were homeschooled by their parents, who instilled strong Christian beliefs throughout their upbringing. Tim is dyslexic and has spoken publicly about viewing his uniqueness as a gift from God. This homeschooling background would later make him a notable figure in discussions about equal access to high school athletics for homeschooled students.

Tebow began his football career as a tight end for Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville. Before the 2003 season, he moved to nearby St. Johns County, which made him eligible to play quarterback for Allen D. Nease High School's struggling football program. Under Florida law, homeschooled students can participate on local high school teams, and Tebow took advantage of this provision while continuing his homeschool education.

As a junior at Nease, Tebow gained national attention for his running and throwing abilities, as well as his fierce competitiveness. In one memorable game, he played an entire second half with a broken fibula, including rushing for a 29-yard touchdown, before the severity of the injury was discovered. Despite missing the remainder of his junior season, he was named Florida's Player of the Year.

During his senior season, Tebow led Nease to a state championship while earning All-State honors, Florida's Mr. Football designation, and recognition as a Parade magazine All-American. He repeated as Florida's Player of the Year and participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which was nationally televised on NBC. In 2007, he was named to the Florida State Athletic Association's All-Century Team, recognizing him among the top 33 football players in the state's 100-year high school football history.

Tebow's unique status as a homeschooled athlete playing for a public high school made him a subject of national interest, and he became featured in an ESPN Outside the Lines documentary arguing for extending similar rights to homeschooled students in other states.

Despite family connections to the University of Florida and nearly accepting a scholarship from Alabama, Tebow chose to play for Coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators. His college career became legendary.

As a freshman backup to Chris Leak, Tebow made significant contributions to Florida's 2006 national championship team. He scored a touchdown on his very first play—a designed quarterback scramble—and played a key role in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game victory over Ohio State, throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another.

Named the starting quarterback for the 2007 season, Tebow silenced doubts about his passing ability by posting the nation's second-highest passing efficiency rating (177.8) while averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He set numerous records, including the SEC season rushing touchdown record with 20 and the SEC season total touchdowns record with 55.

On December 8, 2007, Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, receiving 462 first-place votes. He also won the Davey O'Brien Award, Maxwell Award, and AP Player of the Year honors. Tebow finished the regular season as the only player in FBS history to rush and pass for at least 20 touchdowns in both categories in the same season—32 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing touchdowns.

The 2008 season tested Tebow's leadership following an upset loss to Ole Miss at home. His emotional post-game speech, later known as "The Promise," became one of the most iconic moments in college football history. Tebow vowed that the team would work harder than ever before, and they didn't lose another game that season.

Florida defeated Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and then beat top-ranked Oklahoma 24-14 in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, securing Tebow's second national title. He finished third in Heisman voting despite receiving the most first-place votes, and became only the second player to win the Maxwell Award twice.

Tebow's senior season saw him guide Florida to a 13-1 record. He broke Herschel Walker's SEC career rushing touchdown record with his 51st rushing score. Though Florida lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, Tebow's final college game—the 2010 Sugar Bowl victory over Cincinnati—showcased his brilliance. He completed 31 of 35 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns, accounting for four total touchdowns and 533 yards of total offense, setting a Bowl Championship Series game record.

At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Tebow held five NCAA records, 14 SEC records, and 28 University of Florida statistical records. He remained the SEC's all-time leader in career passing efficiency, completion percentage, passing touchdown-to-interception ratio, rushing yards by a quarterback, and total touchdowns responsible for (145).

The Denver Broncos selected Tebow with the 25th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. After playing sparingly as a rookie, Tebow took over as starter during the 2011 season and led the struggling Broncos to their first division title and playoff victory since 2005.

Tebow became famous for orchestrating dramatic comeback victories, winning six games in which the Broncos trailed in the fourth quarter. His unconventional playing style and frequent kneeling in prayer—which became known as "Tebowing"—made him a cultural phenomenon. In the Wild Card playoff game against Pittsburgh, Tebow threw for a career-high 316 yards, including an 80-yard overtime touchdown to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime. The Broncos' playoff run ended the following week with a loss to New England.

Following the Broncos' signing of Peyton Manning in 2012, Tebow was traded to the New York Jets.

Tebow's single season with the Jets proved frustrating. Used sparingly in the wildcat formation and on special teams, he threw only eight passes while the team struggled. As fans and media called for him to replace the inconsistent Mark Sanchez, controversy swirled throughout the season. The Jets released Tebow on April 29, 2013.

Tebow signed with the New England Patriots in June 2013 but was released before the regular season. He joined the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2015 but was again cut before the season began. After six years away from football, Tebow returned in 2021, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a tight end under his former college coach Urban Meyer. He was released after one preseason game on August 17, 2021, ending his professional football career.

In August 2016, Tebow announced his pursuit of a professional baseball career, despite not having played the sport full-time since his junior year of high school in 2005. The New York Mets signed him to a minor league contract in September 2016.

Tebow spent five seasons in the Mets' minor league system, progressing from Class A to Triple-A. He played for the Columbia Fireflies, St. Lucie Mets, Binghamton Rumble Ponies, and Syracuse Mets. Notably, he hit home runs in his first at-bat for three different teams and was named to the 2018 Eastern League All-Star Game.

Injuries hampered his progress—he broke the hamate bone in his right hand in 2018 and suffered a finger injury in 2019. On February 17, 2021, Tebow officially announced his retirement from professional baseball. He had been invited to play for the Philippines national baseball team in the 2021 World Baseball Classic qualifiers, being eligible as he was born in the Philippines, but the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tebow joined ESPN as a college football analyst on December 30, 2013, making his debut during the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. He became a co-host of SEC Nation, a travelling pregame show on the SEC Network. In 2017, he signed a multi-year contract extension that allowed him to continue pursuing his baseball career while maintaining his broadcasting role.

Beyond sports analysis, Tebow has hosted television shows including the second season of Home Free on Fox in 2016 and Million Dollar Mile on CBS in 2019. In September 2021, shortly after his release from the Jacksonville Jaguars, he joined ESPN's First Take as a contributor.

On January 10, 2019, Tebow announced his engagement to Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Miss Universe 2017 from South Africa. The couple married on January 20, 2020, in a 30-minute ceremony in South Africa. Their daughter was born in July 2025.

Tebow has been vocal about his faith-based commitment to abstinence and publicly stated that he maintained his virginity before marriage, drawing both support and scrutiny from various quarters.

In 2013, Florida Governor Rick Scott designated Tebow a Great Floridian in recognition of his major contributions to the state's progress and welfare. On January 9, 2023, Tebow was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and was inducted on December 5, 2023. In 2025, he was named to the First-team AP All-Time All-American college football team.

Tim Tebow's Religious Beliefs

Tim Tebow's Christian faith has been the defining characteristic of his public persona. Born to missionary parents in the Philippines, Tebow has been surrounded by evangelical Christianity his entire life and has never been hesitant to publicly express his beliefs.

From an early age, Tebow participated in his family's missionary work in the Philippines, preaching at schools and villages and assisting with medical care. His parents established the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association, which founded an orphanage in the Philippines. Tebow continues to support more than 40 national evangelists working in that nation.

In the United States, Tebow has shared his Christian faith in numerous venues including prisons, schools, churches, youth groups, conferences, and meetings. He is a regular speaker at events presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has addressed massive crowds about his faith. On Easter Sunday 2012, approximately 20,000 people gathered in Florida to hear him speak.

During his college football career, Tebow frequently wore Bible verse references on his eye black. Most famously, he wore "John 3:16" during the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, which became the highest-ranked Google search term over the next 24 hours, generating over 90 million searches. When he later switched to "Proverbs 3:5-6," there were 3.43 million combined searches for "Tim Tebow" and that verse.

His habit of kneeling in prayer on the football field—a form of genuflecting known as "Tebowing"—became a cultural phenomenon. The term was coined by fan Jared Kleinstein in October 2011 and quickly spread worldwide, with people submitting 20,000 photographs to a website dedicated to the practice within two-and-a-half months. Tebow was awarded the trademark to "Tebowing" in October 2012.

Tebow's 2010 appearance in a Focus on the Family Super Bowl advertisement sparked nationwide controversy. The ad, which told his personal birth story as part of a pro-life message, drew criticism from pro-choice groups while receiving support from pro-life organizations. Tebow has continued to be a vocal advocate in opposition to abortion, appearing as a featured speaker at the 2021 March for Life and numerous other anti-abortion events.

In 2021, Liberty University honored Tebow's commitment to religious beliefs and humanitarian work by awarding him an honorary Doctorate of Humanities.